Investors averse on geopolitical turmoil

U.S. stocks rose, after the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell the most since April, as investors weighed earnings and geopolitical tensions. Treasuries dropped with gold, while European equities slid on concern the conflict in Ukraine is deepening.

Ten-year U.S. debt jumped the most since March yesterday, leading a rally in haven assets after a Malaysian Airlines jet went down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, just a day after the U.S. and the European Union imposed further sanctions on Russia over the conflict. The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting over the incident today. Equities extended losses and bonds rallied after reports that Israel began a ground operation in Gaza.

“It’s difficult for the situation in Ukraine to calm down, given that human losses are involved,” said Veronika Pechlaner, who helps oversee $2.3 billion at Jersey, Channel Islands-based Ashburton Ltd. “It comes at the worst possible time, a day after sanctions were announced against Russia. It’s a natural reaction for investors to be a bit risk averse.”

Missile strike

Ukraine’s state security service said it intercepted phone conversations among militants discussing the missile strike, which brought down flight MH17 near the eastern town of Torez, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine’s government bore responsibility for the crash because it wouldn’t have occurred without the current strife in the east of the country.

Malaysian Airline System Bhd, which lost another plane in March, dropped to 11 percent, pushing the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI to its lowest level in a month. The airline has slumped 35 percent this year.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, the gauge of S&P 500 options prices known as the VIX, rallied 32 percent yesterday, the most since April 2013 to close at a three-month high.

Greater uncertainty

“There will be a greater level of uncertainty in the market today with yesterday’s events in Ukraine,” Nick Skiming, who helps manage $10 billion at Ashburton, said in a phone interview. “But big names such as Google will provide some fill. The U.S. is in a good place right now, with positive results from several domestically-focused companies.”

The S&P 500 had its biggest drop since April 10 as concern about the implications of escalating tension in Ukraine and the Middle East overshadowed corporate earnings reports.

About 76 percent of the S&P 500 companies that have posted results this season beat analysts’ profit projections, and 70 percent topped sales estimates, data compiled by Bloomberg show.